Mixed martial arts matches nearing legislative OK

Friday

SPRINGFIELD -- Mixed martial arts, an increasingly popular sport once derided as “human cockfighting,” may soon get legal recognition by the state of Illinois.

By JEREMY PELZER

STATE CAPITOL BUREAU

SPRINGFIELD -- Mixed martial arts, an increasingly popular sport once derided as “human cockfighting,” may soon get legal recognition by the state of Illinois.

The Illinois Senate is expected to soon vote on legislation that would permit and regulate mixed martial arts events in the state. House members overwhelmingly passed the bill in March.

In mixed martial arts, competitors try to defeat their opponent using a wide variety of fighting styles, including karate, boxing and jujitsu.

Traditionally, there have been few rules placed on such matches; competitors were permitted to use tactics such as biting, groin attacks, head-butting and kicking an opponent in the kidneys.

In 1996, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, sent a letter to all 50 governors denouncing mixed martial arts events as “human cockfighting” after he saw a video of a match held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a leading mixed martial arts promoter.

But today, the more egregious fighting techniques are banned, and the sport has grown in popularity. Mixed martial arts events are regularly televised on Spike TV and ESPN2, and the UFC regularly draws 17,000-19,000 people per event.

A year ago, The State Journal-Register profiled UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes, a two-time Class A state wrestling champion at Hillsboro High School, prior to a match that drew 20,000 fans at Los Angeles’ Staples Center.

“Ultimate fighting exhibitions” have been banned by the state Department of Financial and Professional Regulation since 2004, following reports of numerous injuries at “tough man” competitions in bars, at which drunk and rowdy audience members would be invited to fight professional fighters, said agency spokeswoman Sue Hofer.

But the department often grants waivers to professional mixed martial arts competitions that are held by an accredited sport agency, she said.

Last year, 60 such waivers were granted statewide, she said.

One accredited mixed martial arts organization, the International Fight League, is scheduled to hold a team competition Saturday in Chicago.

Sen. James DeLeo, the Chicago Democrat who’s sponsoring the bill, said by sanctioning professional mixed martial arts, the state could monitor and regulate events.

“It’s not a farce; it’s a sport with athletes,” DeLeo said. “And when you regulate that, you have sanctioned fights, safety, ring people, doctors, size to weight divisions, the weight of gloves … number of rounds, the different classes.”

If the law passes quickly, the UFC — which is not accredited by the state — would try to hold an event in the Chicago area later this year or in early 2008, said Marc Ratner, UFC vice president of regulatory affairs.

“Illinois is a hotbed for mixed martial arts,” Ratner said. “There’s a lot of former heavyweight champions out of Chicago.”

Jeremy Pelzer can be reached at (217) 782-3095 or jeremy.pelzer@sj-r.com.